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Tax break for condo owners is bad deal

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Thursday April 10, 2014 5:28 AM

I respond to the March 23
Dispatch articles on the distressed Weinland Park community and the affluent Downtown
tax-break condominium community. Every other homeowner whose property is assessed by the Franklin
County auditor at or around $100,000 is paying 20 times more than the condo owners, with the
rationale being “an important factor in luring residents Downtown,” according to council member
Zach M. Klein.

Why doesn’t our local government lure and entice owners into poorer areas, such as Weinland Park
or Linden, with the same deal?

And then to have a Capital South executive, Cleve Ricksecker, attempt to rationalize this tax
break “because it’s very inexpensive to service” Downtown housing because of close proximity to
water, sewer and emergency services, is total nonsense. Any homeowner can look at his property-tax
bill and read where the dollars are distributed.

The majority, 60 percent, goes to the schools, 10 percent to Franklin County Board of
Developmental Disabilities, 7 percent to Children Services, and only 4 percent going to the city’s
general fund, with the rest to library, zoo, parks, seniors and mental health.

Property taxes don’t pay for water and sewer. We do every three months.

The attempt to minimize this outrageous tax break by stating it does not apply to the land
portion of the property tax also is laughable. The land-tax portion is peanuts compared to the
building portion, so the owner of a $500,000 condo pays a meager $500 a year in this scam.

Are the Democrats in control of our county and city unaware of President Barack Obama’s desire
to spread the wealth around and not give tax breaks to the wealthy?

They have it backward: Property tax breaks should go to the retired elderly on Social Security
and people below the poverty-income level who own and live in their homes. Don’t give a break to
those who live in a million-dollar condo just for living Downtown.